Winless pocilgos opt for managerial change to try and end their run of ‘los’ses

After a last minute defeat against Final League leaders FC Gheboaya, leaving los pocilgos with just two points from their first six matches, los pocilgos chose to part ways with their Romanian coach Dsg. After a thorough recruitment process with many applications being considered, the club on the Spanish coastline opted to hire SGBE, formerly of the Mamwinyi Warriors residing in the League of Champs, as the club’s new manager.

Los pocilgos’ finest season brought them a cup Final and guaranteed XCL football the following season when they met Tug4Zon3 Elite in the Final League Cup Final. Having briefly took the lead, los pocilgos would battle bravely before losing the Final 5-2 but in their first and, to date, only XCL season – the Spanish residents finished third in an XCL group containing both GRASSBANDITS’ Imperium Sine Fine and the all-conquering KBM Whitsunday when ShadowsDT’s side were in their pomp.

Resources have since stripped and the team is much changed from the one that entered that XCL tournament so bullishly all those seasons ago and the task that faces SGBE will be to decide what direction the team must go in next and how best to reshape los pocilgos into a winning force.

Speaking exclusively to the Xpert Daily, SGBE described what persuaded him to take the leap to join los pocilgos when the opportunity became available, “[it was] a chance to manage in the top flight of an official league” and when asked why he left the Warriors in the middle of a rebuild there, he added, rather controversially; “this may not go down too well with the Warriors fans but they were always a stepping stone. When the opportunity to manage a top flight team came knocking I did not have to think twice.”

SGBE seemed very realistic about his goals, assessing that “relegation is a certainty so [there is] no point trying to achieve a miracle." The new manager also shared his goals for los pocilgos and what lies in store for the top flight side. “I am more a ‘smaller changes over a longer period of time’ type of manager so I don't expect there to be a clear-out or anything of that sort”. This news should go down well with los pocilgos fans. When travelling to the stadium to speak to the new boss I caught up with one fan who said he felt uneasy with the approach led by some modern-day managers who focus on extensive rebuilds and long-term youth-blooding projects and neglect the form and results of their team.

One of the major changes SGBE has made since becoming manager is to dip into the market and sign 33 year old goalkeeper, Tim Kling for just over 6 million econ. This move baffled many supporters who questioned the wisdom in signing another goalkeeper when the club already has a solid number one in Marcus Mölleborg and sufficient back-up in the shape of 22 year old, tall goalkeeper, Wojciech Leciejewski. One fan, going by the name of Juan Martin do Mingo told the Xpert Daily “what a load of ****, of all the places he could strengthen and he chooses goalkeeper? No, no. We have no striker for our game against ACD Soito, what’s he going to do? Play Kling in strike?”

SGBE however moved to assure fans that the signing of Kling would be good for the club, when asked about how that signing would affect los pocilgos’ other main goalkeeper, Marcus Mölleborg: “Tim has been signed to provide extra cover. He also comes with skills and qualities that we needed in this position. Marcus has suffered a bit due to lacking competition so hopefully this will help him as well. Unfortunately, Tim's first two matches have not been great but he is working hard in training.”

Finally we asked SGBE about the approach he would take to managing his new side and he affirmed the los pocilgos philosophy of blooding younger players by commenting “I prefer to develop from within so the academy will be one place I will be looking to get new talent” although; “as the signing of Tim has shown, I will also continue keeping an eye on the transfer market and should the right player become available then we will get involved.”

Overall it would seem opinions are divided as to whether SGBE is the right man to take los pocilgos forward. His opening results have not been spectacular but, by his own admission, for the time being at least, it is performances and not results which will matter to him when shaping the next dynasty for los pocilgos. Their fans may be slightly apprehensive but one thing you have to give SGBE credit for is his willingness to be pro-active in making big changes which could define los pocilgos not just now, but in the future.

For now the talking is over, can SGBE deliver on the big stage? The next few seasons will be key.

Yard sale at Jamsetor!

FC Jamsetor in 100 million econ giveaway following arrival of new coach

It’s a case of out with the old and in with the, erm, well older at FC Jamsetor after new manager; Davidalex has begun raking in the cash after landing the job at the Division 4i club. Davidalex’s appointment at Jamsetor sparked mass confusion within the Jamsetor ranks following the sacking of absent French boss, Dor_Pique. With no recognisable history in public league football management, it seems like a case of letting a baby wolf into the pen to fight with experienced tigers at Jamsetor, however in the last fortnight since taking over the club, Jamsetor have gone from being a modest, achieving club with very little attention, to a club thrust into the limelight after a succession of noteworthy sales.

In just three short weeks after taking the helm at Jamsetor, Davidalex has reaped no less than 103,499,500 econ* (yes, you read that right!) in player transfers. The transfer fee of Justino Alegre was highest; the 26 year old midfielder was sold to CascaVMT United for over 25 million econ. Other transfers which exceeded the 10 million econ barrier include: Mlorad Oluic (for 12.7 million to Everöds IF), Maksim Brnovic (for 16.3 million to hell town fc) and Cvijan Pejakovic (for 11.1 million to LA VALLETT WORRIORS).

When asked by the Xpert Daily to explain his transfer procedure, the Portuguese coach wilfully replied: “the squad was unbalanced and would only devalue the good values; unambitious good level”.

After the most expensive yard sale in world history, the question on many people’s lips is what Davidalex is planning to do with the cash he has been able to generate. In an exclusive press conference, Davidalex said “I hope to work with young prospects and create a team in my image” and that his long term goal for FC Jamsetor is “winning any official competition” which suggests that the Portuguese coach is in for the long haul, no matter which approach he takes.

With a squad of an average age of thirty years old, the ‘young prospect’ part of his speech has yet to flourish but with it being mid-season, it is unlikely we will see Jamsetor dip into the market too suddenly to purchase players, players of sufficient quality anyway. However with over 100 million econ in the bank, Davidalex will have the market at his mercy once the current Final League season reaches its closure and it will be interesting to see then, what he is able to do to turn this ailing Jamsetor side into world beaters.

* – stats correct as of 10th March 2014

It’s the Final countdown…

It was a number one hit for Europe with the classic eighties hairstyles and killer keyboard solos and if ever the song were apt for any Final League season, it is this one. With four games left, the top seven sides are split by just seven points with five European nations represented within. After ten games, no team has yet managed to win more than half their games in the Final League elite division which sees FC Gheboaya, former XCL quarter-finalists, just top the pile ahead of FC Botosani and The Black Devils by a point.

Place

Team

Games Played

W

D

L

GF-GA

Goal Difference

Points

1st

FC Gheboaya

10

5

3

2

13-10

3

18

2nd

FC Botosani

10

4

5

1

15-5

10

17

3rd

The Black Devils

10

5

2

3

16-18

-2

17

4th

Paraiso Montanha

10

4

3

3

9-6

3

15

5th

Wildcat Wanderers

10

3

4

3

7-6

1

13

6th

Jah Crew

10

3

4

3

9-10

-1

13

7th

ACD Soito

10

3

2

5

13-15

-2

11

8th

Los pocilgos

10

0

3

7

4-16

-12

3

Typically you would perhaps think it wise to look at the remaining four fixtures for each of the contending teams however, with such little separating each team, with the exception of los pocilgos, in the league this season; you cannot take any game for granted in the Final League this season.

Can the end-season battle really be as crazy as Joey Tempest’s Swedish frizz? Watch out for next month’s report for a look back at a thrilling Final League season!

The Cup and the XCL

If there is one thing you cannot level with FC Botosani manager, _mr.Xpert_ this season it’s that the Romanian boss lacks motivation. His FC Botosani side are fighting on all fronts this season and have made it to the quarter finals of the Final League Cup despite being taken all the way by Sootys Footy before prevailing on penalties. Their reward is a quarter final meeting with the impressive-looking Hockeypojkarna FC outfit who will hope to claim the glorious scalp of knocking out last season’s winners.

Steregr’s FC Gheboaya are still the strongest side around in the Final League and they will still believe they have a couple of seasons left in them yet. They will enter their quarter final match against IFK Sork as overwhelming favourites with many doubting Herr_Sorken’s chances of coming out on top in that one.

Steaua.B might be a familiar name to you XCL fan boys and their upcoming side will take on CatGP’s Wildcat Wanderers who have arguably the best club logo on xpert eleven! Finally, lower league fans will be watching this tie with keen interest as the fourth quarter final sees two sides from Division 5 go head to head. Canvey Island had never got beyond the 7th round before this season whilst Swebstars have never gone past the 6th yet a semi-final beckons for one of them and with the Swebstars having been littered with suspensions and injuries recently, there is a big chance for Ronnie12345, manager of Canvey Island, to upset the odds and get his side a semi-final place along with promotion into Division 4 for next season.

With one game to go the Final League could have two XCL second round representatives! Then again… it may have zero. A.C. Lustosa’s campaign hasn’t gone by without a hitch following a 2-0 win in their opening match against KBM Shinz, three defeats followed including a home defeat to Interpool FC leaving Lustosa perilously close to exiting the competition. A win was required against Interpool to stand a chance of qualifying for the second round… and what was to follow was breath-taking! Having taken the lead through Patrick Holwijn, Enzo Conti had thought he’d doubled Lustosa’s lead just five minutes later before his goal was chalked off. Having gained the reprieve, Interpool used it to their advantage to grab an equaliser after the break from Allan Britton and with a quarter of an hour to go, it looked like Interpool were on their way to booking a second round place… but no! Harryson did the donkey work, showing Mais a clean pair of heels before hoisting the ball high to Conti at the back stick who finally got his goal with a finally judged header. The away crowd erupted! Lustosa are still in it!

Place

Team

Games Played

W

D

L

GF-GA

Goal Difference

Points

1st

The AntiChrists

5

4

1

0

8-0

8

13

2nd

Interpool FC

5

2

1

2

5-5

0

7

3rd

A.C. Lustosa

5

2

0

3

4-6

-2

6

4th

KBM Shinz

5

0

2

3

1-7

-6

2

Now all Lustosa must do is better Interpool’s result and they will be in the round of sixteen (supposing Lustosa overhaul a two goal swing if the two finish level on points). What’s in Lustosa’s favour? Well something quite big… A.C. Lustosa’s final group game is against KBM Shinz whereas Interpool FC? Well they have the small matter of visiting the home of The AntiChrists, the winners of the tournament two seasons ago and who have not lost in the Hattrick League so far this season. Now it’s up to A.C. Lustosa to finish off the job.

FC Botosani’s predicament is slightly more precarious. They are second in the group and will need to beat SparkaSpring, and may need to win by a sufficient scoreline, to qualify for the next round. Having been slaughtered by SparkaSpring in the first game, Botosani embarked on an impressive run picking up eight points though their inability to defeat the African Spears despite out-chancing their opponents in both ties ensured African Spears were able to follow Botosani stride for stride throughout the group phase and having beaten SparkaSpring 3-0 away from home last week, the pressure is fully on Botosani for the last fixtures. They must at least match the Spears’ result to make the next stage and they must not hold back! A win with many goals is only likely to be good enough in this one and thus Botosani must go out goal-thirsty, otherwise their XCL campaign will come to an end, disappointingly, in the group phase.

Place

Team

Games Played

W

D

L

GF-GA

Goal Difference

Points

1st

SparkaSpring FC

5

4

0

1

10-5

5

12

2nd

FC Botosani

5

2

2

1

7-4

3

8

3rd

African Spears

5

2

2

1

6-3

3

8

4th

Modson Media FC

5

0

0

5

2-13

-11

0

Golden League

Blitz’s ‘cool’ star signs professional terms with the club

FC Blitz youngster dubbed next “Hiroki Futabatei”, is promoted to the first team..

A modest Division 5 team on the outskirts of Malmö, from the outside at least, FC Blitz seem like a typical run of the mill mid-tier side. And you would not be too far wrong for thinking that. However excitement has been buzzing at the Division 5 team in recent weeks due to a new addition. No not a new manager, not a twenty goal a season forward, not even an inspirational captain with bags of experience. The buzz at Blitz is due to the emergence of Thorsten Borchardt, a seventeen year old goalkeeper. Why such excitement, you might ask. Simply put, Thorsten has been touted in many circles as one of the best goalkeepers to have ever progressed from any youth academy and many have suggest he is on his way to reaching the dizzying heights of xpert’s most charmed goalkeeper, Hiroki Futabatei – praise indeed.

So who is Thorsten Borchardt? Thorsten Borchardt is a seventeen year old who has made his name for a string of man of the match performances whilst going through the age categories, typically playing against players who were 3-4 years older than him. His most iconic feature, his flame ginger hair, makes him easily noticeable yet it is his prowess between the sticks which often draws the media attention. So what could be better than a seventeen year old goalkeeper with the xpert world seemingly at his feet? Well Thorsten Borchardt is not just a brilliant shot-stopper, he is also extremely talented at saving penalties and is often described as one of the coolest players in the team, a sentiment his manager echoes.

This week, Thorsten penned a four year contract to the club for which he supported growing up and his manager Stefanbaloo was only too happy to have finalised the long term future of the best youth prospect the club could ever hope to create: “we are very excited to have such a young player with that potential”.

For Thorsten, it is a brilliant chance to learn as a footballer and develop his playing ability at a club with relatively modest expectations. For FC Blitz, subsequently, it is being regarded as the most outstanding piece of business in the Golden League this season and an excellent return on the 300k a week which Stefanbaloo invests into his youth academy. Thorsten is already joining a team boasting such talented players as Konstantin Antonelius and Arnold Backman and in a press conference, Stefanbaloo added his expectations of the more experienced players in his FC Blitz side, “I hope that the older players will help the younger to evolve and hopefully they will be a pillar in the team in the future”.

The sceptics out there may surmise from this, ironically, that it is typical Swedish luck that a manager of Swedish origin would land such a wonderkid. However this isolated instance must surely highlight a real positive for the Youth Academy and may even suggest that people should not be too quick in writing off its merits. It has paid off for Stefanbaloo and may pay off for others too.

Six teams have been swatted away like flies to the slaughter and now just two teams remain engulfed in the Golden League title race: Fortuna Killepitsch who are managed by Champions League participant Bromis, and Trambolhos SAD, and both of whom are in their debut Golden League season! Following Fortuna’s miserly draw away at Nasty Fc whilst Trambolhos hammered another former elite division winner, Porto Knights, 5-1; the sizeable gap at the top has now been chopped to four points with three games to play.

Place

Team

Games Played

W

D

L

GF-GA

Goal Difference

Points

1st

Fortuna Killepitsch

11

8

2

1

17-3

14

22

2nd

Trambolhos SAD

11

7

1

3

18-11

7

18

After seven wins in their first eight games, Fortuna have hit a troubled patch at exactly the wrong time and have left the door ajar for Trambolhos, managed by Portuguese manager Deepipe, to take advantage. The club’s remaining fixtures are as follows:

The next match is key then, Trambolhos SAD vs Fortuna Killepitsch at Gamelão where Fortuna Killepitsch will win the title should they manage an away win. A draw will keep the title race going, even if only temporarily whereas a home win will blow the race wide open with just two games to play and render the last games as massively important.

The importance of Fortuna Killepitsch’s and Trambolhos’ last games aren’t just important in relation to the title race, but towards the bottom of the table too. There are just two points separating third placed Rangers and sixth placed C.S.Marítimo whilst the Porto Knights are still just in the fight to stay up though will have to win at least two of their last three games in order to survive, a tall order given the legendary side have only won three in eleven all season. The Serbian Heroes’ season is over though as they have not accumulated enough points to survive with three games left to play, their dalliance in the top flight will be coming to yet another end.

Place

Team

Games Played

W

D

L

GF-GA

Goal Difference

Points

3rd

Rangers

11

5

1

5

19-15

4

16

4th

Nasty Fc

11

4

4

3

9-6

3

16

5th

Viggan

11

5

1

5

15-16

-1

16

6th

C.S.Marítimo

11

4

2

5

14-17

-3

14

7th

Porto Knights

11

3

1

7

14-26

-12

10

8th

Serbian Heroes

11

2

0

9

10-22

-12

6

So the relegation fight may be epic but for now all concentration must turn to the mammoth match on the 23rd of March. Trambolhos SAD versus Fortuna Killepitsch for a shot of the title, which newbie will prevail?

The Cup and the XCL

The Golden League Cup is into its quarter final stages and there are eight fantastic sides left in the competition, eager to get their hands on some silverware and book an XCL place for next season. Undoubtedly, tie of the round sees first take on second in the Golden League pyramid as treble-chasing Fortuna Killepitsch will face their sternest examination in the cup so far against Trambolhos SAD, the side they are fighting for the title. With only one side able to be accommodated in the semi-finals, it will be an intriguing tie not least because both will be wary of their upcoming league games as they both bid to win the elusive Golden League title.

Elsewhere, last season’s beaten semi-finalists, Division 1b side Olympique Lyon, will look to at least equal last season’s effort but they have Division 1a runaway leaders, 2-Tone Army who have strung a chain of thirteen straight victories (at the time of writing) and will be itching to add Lyon to their long list of scalps this season.

In the other two matches: Season 29 Golden League winners, Karlstad Guardsmen, will face Haugealexander’s Haugar Terrierne in an all Scandinavian affair. Scottish interest in the competition is also maintained as Maxywell makes the quarter finals, his long-term flirtation with the cup continues and his Denver Broncos will meet the Riska Raptors in the last eight.

The XCL has heralded unprecedented joy for the Golden League representatives this season with both Fortuna Killepitsch and Viggan securing their rite of passage to the second round with a game to spare.

Bromis’ Killepitsch begun their campaign in Group D sloppily, they were soundly beaten by Wasted Years of the Power League and many wondered whether they were being over-awed by the prestige of the occasion. Those individuals need not have bothered worrying. Killepitsch won their next two via the concession of just two chances and despite drawing 0-0 with Doktiga Grabbar, a 3-1 home win against F.C. Steaua Oradea is enough to see Fortuna into the last sixteen, regardless of what they do in their final match against Wasted Years.

Place

Team

Games Played

W

D

L

GF-GA

Goal Difference

Points

1st

Wasted Years

5

4

1

0

11-1

10

13

2nd

Fortuna Killeptisch

5

3

1

1

7-4

3

10

3rd

Doktiga Grabbar

5

1

2

2

1-6

-5

5

4th

F.C. Steaua Oradea

5

0

0

5

2-10

-8

0

Sucker_o_man’s Viggan have secured their second round place despite defeat in their first two games! Viggan started with a 3-0 defeat against Cleptomaniacos CF, a match which Viggan ended with only ten men. This defeat was compounded by one a week later, to Cloggie’s Cloggies and at this stage the Cloggies had a four point lead on Viggan. Step forward the Golden Leaguers. A convincing 3-0 victory against George Best XI was to follow and a Taylor Terry first minute goal was enough to bag Viggan victory in the return game. Amazingly, Viggan knew that a win against Cloggies would see them reach the next round after Cloggies did not manage a point against Cleptomaniacos in the double-headers. Viggan duly did their duty and put Cloggies to the sword in a 3-1 victory, with help in part due to the youths that Cloggie chose to field. This result means Viggan, like Fortuna Killepitsch will be in the second round and we caught up with their manager to discuss his side’s XCL objectives.

Sucker_o_man: [when asked how he felt to make the knockout stages] “It feels great, it is my first time in the XCL and my first goal was to go to the playoffs.”
[When asked how he felt after two games where his side had no points, four points off second place] “Well I thought that I still had a chance since both first games were away games but then I really had to win the next two games which I did.”
[When asked how far he believes his side can go in the competition and how he rated his chances of potential success] “Hard question all teams are really good and there is very little separating them. I think it will be hard to go all the way but maybe semi-final if I can avoid injuries.”

Place

Team

Games Played

W

D

L

GF-GA

Goal Difference

Points

1st

Cleptomaniacos CF

5

4

1

0

10-0

10

13

2nd

Viggan

5

3

0

2

8-7

1

9

3rd

Cloggies

5

1

1

3

4-8

-4

4

4th

George Best XI

5

0

2

3

0-7

-7

2

And finally…

I have not quite worked out what to call this feature, “Fabby’s Focus” was about the best I could come up with (which shows how fraught of ideas I am) but for now we’ll go with “And finally”. In what will hopefully become a monthly feature I will interview one manager from either the Final League, Golden League (or both) with game-related issues and other such nonsense off the website. This month’s interview is with Australian coach Braamo, in charge of Golden League side, Reds Down Under who currently ply their trade in Division 4c. He’s been in charge of the club for a whopping eight years and here he spoke to the Daily about his time at the club, as well as other things…

XD: Welcome Braamo so to business and I wondered if you could introduce yourself to the xpert readers?

In my spare time, I run OnlineSportsTipping.com where we run tipping competitions on a variety of sports including the EPL.

I watch sport better than I play it - sports teams I'm enjoying watching at the moment are the Australian Cricket Team [I wonder why…], Liverpool FC and whoever is playing Manchester United FC.

XD: Last month marked an eighth year anniversary with Reds Down Under, that's longer than the average marriage lasts these days! Why have you chosen to remain with your initial team for so long?

Braamo: Shhh ... keep your voice down Fabby, my wife will hear you!

X11 has - for me - always been about constructing a project and seeing that project through. I'm not in it to jump up through the divisions by hopping from team to team, for me it's about developing a squad and being there when they become successful.

XD: Your squad have floated around the top divisions more or less since its first season and were agonisingly close to promotion in Season 23 after losing in a Division One playoff Setback SC thanks to a 90th minute penalty, does it disappoint you that you haven't yet been able to lift Reds Down Under into the top flight and where does that playoff match rank amongst your worst moments on the game?

Braamo: Well gee thanks, that's thousands of econ of psycho-therapy down the drain now that you've brought that up ... I had honestly forgotten that it was a late penalty that sunk us ...

*sigh*

You know what? It was actually a privilege to even be on that Wembley stage with the boys. If I'm honest, we didn't have the squad to compete in the top flight at that point, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't have relished the opportunity to participate.

So that was a disappointing day, but not the worst day. Worse was being unable to lift them there the following season, and in fact getting relegated back to D2.

Perhaps the worst was getting relegated back to D4 two seasons ago, when I almost gave the game away. We decided at that point to take a different strategy and it's actually now coming together a bit faster than I expected. We're in great shape for a top 2 finish this season.

XD: ... but going back to the positives! What has been your favourite moment since taking over from Reds Down Under?

Braamo: Other than the playoff appearance, getting to the pointy end of the cups is always up there as a highlight. I've always liked to think we can beat anyone on our day, but we've only made it to the last 32 once, and despite being down to 10 men it took (another!) injury time penalty this season to stop us from getting there again.

It's hard to go past winning your first trophy though, even if it was Division 5. It's hard to not get hooked on the game when you've got a medal on your profile.

XD: Have you developed any interesting rivalries during your time on the game?

Braamo: Not so much in the Golden League, although I tend to keep an eye out for the fellow Aussies when we get put in the same division.

I got invited to a private league of Aussie managers and wound up being grouped with Pazhood who turned out to be a couple of years below me at the same high school. He got to #2 in the Australian manager rankings I think and his squad dominates our league at the moment so the 'rivalry' is a bit one-sided, but what I lack on the pitch I make up for in the Press Releases! He's currently having his own top-flight challenges in a different Xpert League. I'm envious.

XD: What of your current plans? What is your current goal for Reds Down Under and what stage is the club at, at the moment?

Braamo: The current plan is to follow our new strategy through and try to get us into the top flight for the first time. A Champions League appearance would be the pinnacle, but it’s going to be many seasons before we can even contemplate having the squad required for such a feat.

XD: What was it that first attracted you to Xpert Eleven?

Braamo: My brother got me into it via a private league, and from there it has been progressive degrees of 'unfinished business' that I can't let go. I could do with the handful of hours I spend each week back, but I can't see me giving the game away any time soon!

XD: Judging by your team name and your profile page, I guess it would be safe to assume you are a Liverpool fan? In which case, what do you make of the Reds' current season? Do you think Brendan Rodgers' men have a shot of the title?

Braamo: Having watched Aussie Craig Johnston score for Liverpool in the 1986 FA Cup Final - before you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye, Fabby - they've been my team. When my Rugby League team got taken away from me, LFC became my passion, despite being on the other side of the world.

I finally got to see them in the flesh when they stopped off in Melbourne last July. Singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" with 95,000 other 'Reds Down Under' and witnessing Steven Gerrard score a superbly worked goal are lifetime highlights.

Right now we're supposed to be towing the party line that we're 'taking it a game at a time', and that we'll accumulate as many points as we can and see where that puts us at the end of the season.

Just between you and me though Fabby [and now the whole xpert world], it's hard not to get excited. Chelsea and Man City both still have to come to Anfield and we've taken 3 points from most who have come. We'd need to beat them both to have a shot at the title, but if that doesn't happen, even 3rd place and automatic Champions' League qualification would be a massive over-achievement. Arsenal are throwing it away and Spurs still haven't switched on, so it's a real possibility.

David Moyes is doing a terrific job, too. I'm not sure what everyone's complaining about!

The owners are owed some credit for making one of the toughest calls in the history of the club: to sack a club icon - Kenny Dalglish - so that the man to take the club forward can get started. I was really impressed with Brendan Rodgers' first press conference, and it was clear from day one he was the man for the project. After 6 months of teething problems, he has been stellar ever since.

XD: How is football seen in Australia relative with other sports? Is it becoming a bigger sport over there or are the likes of Rugby, Cricket and Aussie Rules just too popular?

Braamo: More people play Football in Australia than any other sport. However the other sports are still more popular at the professional level. Making the 2006 World Cup Finals - for the first time in 32 years - was a major turning point for Football here though.

That coincided with the formulation of our domestic Football league - the A-League - which has also helped with the kids who can't stay up to watch European football, which isn't on until after midnight here most of the season. The atmosphere at the A-League derbies in particular is electric, so Football has made a lot of ground in the last 8 years. The best thing they did is schedule Football through our summer so that it doesn't have to compete head-on with Aussies Rules, Rugby League and Rugby Union.

Liverpool and Manchester United both toured Australia last July and about 180,000 people went to see them, so Football's popularity here is very much founded on the ability for the Premier League to reach our televisions, particularly in the last 10-15 years. We don't sleep much over here.

XD: Say I was coming to stay in your home town for a few nights (ooh the horror), which three places would you recommend I visit?

Braamo: Given you look like you could do with some time on the beach, Fabby, after touching down you should head to Bondi Beach where the rest of the English ex-pats go to get sunburnt. There's plenty to look at there.

... then after touring our beautiful CBD, head to the Sydney Football Stadium to watch Sydney FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers FC.

... once that's done go next door to the Sydney Cricket Ground where Australia beat England 5-0 in The Ashes. There may be one or two pieces of your broken dreams still lying on the ground for you to collect.

On your way back to the mother land, it's worth stopping off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch ... well ... anything. It is just an amazing place to be.

And after those sly cricket-related digs, here come some quick-fires.

1. Cricket or Rugby?
Right now ... Cricket :)

2. Indian takeaway or Chinese takeaway?
Indian

3. Liverpool winning the Premier League or Australia winning the World Cup?
Club before Country. We'll be happy to score a goal, much less take a point or win a game in Brazil. Anyone else draw both finalists from the last Cup in their group?